Boil the jiaozi, pour the baijiu, it's time to celebrate Chinese New Year

Marsha Keefer

Sunday

Jan 26, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 26, 2014 at 12:15 AM

Friday, a new year dawns in China -- the Year of the Horse.

As the clock strikes midnight, celebrating will begin in earnest in the East Asian country, launching a 15-day event culminating with the Lantern Festival Feb. 14.

Based on a lunisolar calendar, the start of a new year is astronomically determined by the dates of the new moon after the winter solstice. That's why each year it falls on a different date.

"It's a big deal in China," said Elizabeth VanderVen, a specialist in Chinese history and culture.

A Pittsburgh native, VanderVen was on the faculty at Rutgers University, and is the founder of Unicorn Intercultural Consulting in Pasadena, Calif., which offers training for businesses and institutions wishing to understand Chinese culture and customs. She continues to teach Chinese and East Asian history at the university level and is the author of "A School in Every Village," a history of Chinese education.

As in most cultures, with the passage of time and concessions to modernity, some customs have evolved.

For example, in these modern times, people don't have the luxury of taking two weeks off, VanderVen said, but most schools and businesses are closed for a week.

The focus, however, remains family oriented, and even those who may have relocated from rural areas to bigger cities, do their best to return home.

That's why it "is the absolute worst time to travel," said VanderVen, who lived in China for a year in the late 1990s and visits frequently. All modes of transportation -- planes, trains and buses -- are packed.

"Mobile networks get clogged around New Years," she said.

Some, who can't suffer the hassle anymore, resort to technology to send text messages or connect via Skype with families. Others wait to reconnect at a more convenient time.

The family gathers on New Year's Eve, usually in the oldest member's home, which most likely is that of the husband's parents,' since Chinese culture is traditionally paternalistic, said VanderVen.

Traditionally, a big meal would be eaten at home, but now a lot dine at restaurants. Fish is often served to bring good fortune, as are oranges, also considered lucky, and noodles. But the noodles are never cut, VanderVen said, as length symbolizes longevity.

After dinner, everyone gathers around the television to watch the government-controlled station that broadcasts a festival gala -- "the most popular show of the year," she said -- similar to a variety show.

Mah-jongg, a game with tiles bearing Chinese symbols, often is played.

Always, jiaozi, a dumpling, is served at midnight. Thinly rolled dough is cut into small circles that are wrapped around a filling of meat, shrimp or vegetables along with chives and eggs. The edges are crimped, the dumpling shaped into a crescent, then boiled and served with a vinegar-soy or sesame sauce. Some of the little pouches, similar to gold and silver ingots that in earlier years were used for currency, may have a coin tucked inside bringing good fortune to the person who gets it, VanderVen said.

The new year is toasted with baijiu, a fiery, white liquor some call firewater. Made from grain, such as sorghum or wheat, it has a slightly anise aroma.

"It's very potent," said VanderVen. "A lot don't like it."

The family elders, again reinforcing hierarchical principles, present younger members with hongbao -- red envelopes filled with money, "ideally, crisp new bills in a denomination of a number considered lucky," she said.

Any derivative of eight is good, six is OK, but never four, as it's considered unlucky.

Many Chinese customs are entrenched in superstitious beliefs that are exacerbated at the new year.

Firecrackers play a big role in celebrations, too, usually set off after the TV show. The tradition harkens to ancient times playing into the legend of Nian, a demon who came down from the mountains to terrorize villagers.

Firecrackers were thought to scare it away, VanderVen said.

The next few days, things are fairly quiet until the Lantern Festival, a much more public event with parades, highlighted by lion and dragon dances.

In the United States, celebrations tend to be scaled down, she said, with most featuring weekend parades and performances in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles having significant Chinese-American populations.

Chinese restaurants here are more likely to be open, she said, as savvy owners would want to cater to Americans wishing to experience a Chinese New Year.

If one is lucky, she said, he'll have a Chinese friend and be invited into the family circle to celebrate.

VanderVen, a graduate of Allderdice High School, part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, credits her forward-thinking parents for cultivating her interest in China. Both retired professors -- her father in physics at Carnegie Mellon University and her mother in early childhood education at the University of Pittsburgh -- always were avid readers.

Growing up, VanderVen found China fascinating, but "it always seemed very remote to me," she said, until she noticed her parents' books, especially her father's, on topics relating to China.

He, she said, encouraged her to pursue her doctorate in Chinese history, obtained from UCLA. Her undergraduate degrees in Asian studies were from Vassar College and the University of Oregon.

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